


Analysis of Hanzo Shimada

by BareClinten



Series: Characterization of Overwatch Characters I made [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Character Analysis, Character Study, Dragon brothers, Hanzo Shimada Character Study, Hanzo Shimada has Anxiety, Hanzo Shimada has Issues, Hanzo Shimada is Bad at Feelings, How Do I Tag, Im trying to be seroius, Mention of Suicde, Overwatch - Freeform, Overwatch Characters - Freeform, Shimada Brothers, Shimada Clan, characterization, hanzo character study, trigger warning: suicide, wait
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:53:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28482699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BareClinten/pseuds/BareClinten
Summary: Since I just felt like writing a characterization in the middle of the holidays and am currently very interested in Overwatch, I thought to myself 'Why not write a characterization about Hanzo Shimada?'Six days and a lot of collected informations later, I'm done and thought to myself I could just upload it here.In the end it became more of a mixture of analysis and interpretation.This is just a summary of the things I found out, but so that you can get an idea for yourself, I'll link my researches and documents in the notes - so you can see what it's all based on.And since English isn't my mother tongue here is theGerman Translationin which I originally wrote everything.Have fun !But first I have to do one more ! TW: for mentoned suicide! . Please only read it if you are okay with it.
Series: Characterization of Overwatch Characters I made [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2121999
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	Analysis of Hanzo Shimada

**Author's Note:**

> These are my own interpretations of Hanzo's behavior and the informations about him:  
> I tried to look at everything logically so it could explain certain things aswell as to get a better look at Hanzo's character.  
> So if you find something that is wrong or you would interpret differently, feel free to write it in the comments.
> 
> I tried to write a characterization but found that it didn't really work and didn't bring up the points I found most important.  
> For this reason I have only written down a summary of the most important points that make up Hanzo's character for me - points that I analyzed after reading through the information and interpreted after doing some research.  
> There are other, and probably also more interesting things that make Hanzo what he is, that I haven't written down here - otherwise it would've been too much and too confusing. I would therefor also ask you to at least read through the orderly collection of all the informations I have gathered - only of you want of course ; )
> 
> I would also like to say that I know that in 2020 (I wrote it in December and uploaded it in January 2021) I'll be very late with the analysis.  
> But it's better to be late than never do it, right?  
> I would also like to say that God knows I am not an expert in analyzing characters. I'm only doing this because I'm having fun doing it and I'm trying to learn about character writing.  
> I'm also interested in human psychology and I like to get an insight into other people's lives so that I can see from new perspectives - even if they are fictional characters.
> 
> You can find the links to my notes in the notes at the end.  
> Furthermore a big thanks to Rachel, who looked over the texts to make sure I didn't translate everything into nonsense. Thank your for beta reading and supporting me !

My analysis of the Overwatch hero Hanzo Shimada 

One thing that struck out to me in particularly when I was collecting the information and analysing it is, that Hanzo is deeply influenced by events in his past.

Something that shouldn't come as a surprise, but is still important to know.

In my opinion, everything starts with how he was raised. Hanzo's entire upbringing is designed to prepare him for his time as leader of the Shimada clan.

He is the first son of the leader Sojiro and should therefore take over his inheritance as his heir.

As described on the official site, it turns out early on that Hanzo is well suited, as he has above-average skills in various areas. He was taught a lot of things he would need to know later, from strategic thinking to wielding various weapons and martial arts.

The main reason why I think that how he was raised has shaped him a lot is the insight that the members of the clan must have taught him not to show weaknesses and feelings. Because if the head of a clan shows weakness, this can endanger the whole clan. Which could explain the whole honour part, that is ever present.

Furthermore this would also explain why Hanzo is so stoic later on and apparently cannot admit any weaknesses. Not to mention his problems with dealing with emotions.

I also believe that his upbringing has a significant impact on his relationship with Genji.

Genji was spoiled by his father and was not involved in the business or planning of the Shimada clan whatsoever, he is a thorn in the side of many in the clan. A view that Hanzo could've quickly adopted. After all, he is mostly tutored by these people.

For many, Genji is a danger in the clan because he goes out a lot and could talk a lot there - he is, so to speak, a major weak point and a threat to the whole clan.

A weak point that shouldn't be there, but more on that later.

Another factor that might have shaped the relationship between the two could be their father.

I don't have any siblings myself, but I have heard from a few friends what can happen between siblings if the other sibling is preferred by the parents. Most of the time it's nothing good and causes frustration and jealousy - something I can very well imagine happening with Hanzo, especially since he has so much to learn and Genji can pretty much do what he wants.

Whether the death of her father hit both of them straight away cannot really be said, as we don't know much about the relationship between Sojiro and Hanzo.

The fact that Genji vehemently refuses to enter the Shimadas' business after his death will have annoyed and frustrated not only the members of the clan but also Hanzo.

The resentment towards his brother, caused by his way of raising and by the various raising and rejection of Genji, will probably be a main reason why he followed the order to kill his brother. I can also imagine that Hanzo also wanted to get rid of him, because he is a weakness in the clan, something that shouldn't be when you bring up his education again.

Everyone has to decide for themselves whether all of these things and the upbringing will absolve him of the guilt of what he has done or not.

We all know the outcome of the fight between the two .

We also know the consequences of the fight - Genji is rescued and recruited by Overwatch, after which he goes through a long phase of anger and inner conflict until he finds peace with Zenyatta's help.

Hanzo describes that his heart broke after killing his brother. He leaves the clan and never takes a sword in his hand afterwards.

(I will not explain the conflict of Genji any further here, as this text deals with the analysis and interpretation of Hanzo, but I definitely don't want to say that Hanzo was the victim of the fight. God knows, no. Genji suffered from Hanzo's actions and there is no doubt about that - neither does it justifies hanzo completely of what he has done )

I infer leaving the clan because Hanzo doesn't know how to deal with his feelings after killing his brother. I can also imagine that it would take him a few days to really realize what exactly he has done.

The murder of his brother has protracted consequences, as he says himself (eg: "History was forged by the Sword" or "My fate is written in blood").

As already indicated before, Hanzo does not necessarily know how to deal with feelings, especially not with grief or the general showing of emotions, as this could be interpreted by others as weakness. In addition, there seems to be a great conflict within himself, he wants to detach himself from his past and find his own way, but obviously fails and cannot admit his weakness.

This could create the anger in him that Zenyatta senses ("I sense within you the same rage that once consumed your brother") - anger that he doesn't manage it to detach himself from his past and instead focuses the anger into himself. He cannot cope with what he has done and what has become of him - probably blaming the Shimada clan for his actions while he knows that they are not the only ones responsible for what happened.

There are also indications that Hanzo has given up on himself in a certain way and no longer sees any hope that he can improve. An example of this is a conversation between him and Genji that can be found in-game:

Genji tells Hanzo that it is not too late to change his way ("It's not too late to change your way, brother"), while Hanzo replies by saying that he is already beyond redemption (" I am already behind redemption ").

He no longer sees any chance for himself to make amends for what he has done and to be redeemed from his suffering. Something that Genji recognizes, as is increasingly made clear in Dragons.

Furthermore, one of Hanzo's statements that he is not afraid of death is commented in the game by Genji with "No, but you find life in itself the challenge". Which would make it clear again that Hanzo's life does not seem as easy as he leads to belief with his insensitive and arrogant facade.

Which brings me to one of the most important but also worrying points in Hanzo's character.

He is not afraid of death.

In Dragons, Genji says in the scene where he holds his sword to Hanzo's throats that he will not grant him death - for which Hanzo wishes. That the revelation comes after that, that Genji is his brother who was believed to be dead, is something that I will leave out here and instead focus on the made statement from above.

* * *

_(From here the trigger warning for suicide applies)_

Anyone who has followed everything up to this point shouldn't be surprised to learn that Hanzo at least once had the wish to be dead.

One thing that also becomes clear in the Halloween event of 2016 - Hanzo is the only hero who, unlike the other heroes, does not try to break out of his grave. He prefers to stay underground and does not even tries to come back to life.

> “In contrast to Christian countries, suicide is not considered a sin in Japan. Rather, it is understood as a way to take responsibility and ask for forgiveness. "

Which are things Hanzo craves - to take Responsibility for what he has done to his brother and forgiveness so that he can move on with his life and set down the burdens he carries.

Even though you can argue about the responsibility part, I want to explain how I mean it: I think Hanzo knows what he has done and already carries the burden of his actions with him everyday, like I said before, but i still think _he_ thinks he deserves something even worser for that - something more like death, if I go this far.

This, together with the fact that Hanzo cannot forgive himself (you can find this out through the conversations with Genji during Dragons ), worries me.

* * *

Still, I hope and believe that Hanzo will have (a more or less) happy ending.

I think that in Dragons not only Hanzo's problems and his struggle with himself were are made visible, but also that maybe, even if the chances are relatively slim, he can find a perspective to look at how he destroys himself and forgives himself.

Hanzo says Genji is a fool to believe that real life is like the stories as their father told the two of them.

Genji however replies that he might be a fool to believe that there is still hope for Hanzo, but he does anyway. You can see that Hanzo doesn't understand why Genji would say that. After all, he is the last person he would expect forgiveness from - your own brother, who you killed yourself.

I think it might nudge him to learn how to forgive himself - forgiveness, something Hanzo longs to find for himself, something I talked about before.

It will take some time for him to make it through years of accumulation of negative feelings and his way of thinking that he shouldn't show weakness or feelings - but I have hope that he could make it especially with the help of others. Above all, I see Genji and Zenyatta as important people who could help Hanzo if he would let them. He could learn to deal with his feelings and talk to someone about them, something he couldn't do in a number of years.

Something that has certainly brought him to the point where he is at the moment.

I think he can overcome his inner conflict, not necessarily alone, as I mentioned, but the legend of the Dragon Brothers gives me hope.  
Because if he finds humility, Hanzo and Genji can try to build what they once had, maybe even something better.

After all, what ends the legend of the Dragon Brothers in Dragons is:

> "reunited, the two set out to rebuild what they had once destroyed"

**Author's Note:**

> The documents that I used can be found here, they will enable you to get your own picture and probably give more insight into my perspective on Hanzo than this analysis.  
> 
> 
> Organized Informations  
> Dragons Interpretations  
> All Informations I gathered


End file.
